I asked my kids the other day how often they do active shooter drills in their school. Without skipping a beat, they both replied "Once a month". One is in high school, the other in middle.
I've been a nurse for a decade. Do you know how many active shooter drills I've done an any hospital I've worked? Zero.
As I listened to Dr. Michael Cripps speak about the reality of this hospital safety gap at SAGES meeting in Cleveland, the reality hit. It's not a matter of "if" an active shooter will enter a hospital, it's "when."
No one wants to hear that. It's not a place we fathom such a tragedy. But let's look at the current view in healthcare. In 2019, the American Nurses Association survey reported that 1 in 4 nurses were assaulted. Those are pre -pandemic numbers. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, health care workers are 5x as likely to suffer workplace violence injury than all US workers overall.
Yet, how often are hospitals preparing to protect their patients, staff and community if an active shooter enters their hospital.
I'm here to tell you. Yearly computer based modules won't prepare anyone and active shooters don't walk through metal detectors, they shoot through them. With a rate of 184 mass shootings since January 2023, the facade of checking boxes in rose- colored glasses has to end. If school age children are participating in monthly drills, then why are hospitals not held to the same standards?
If your hospital doesn't have a clear cut and solid plan, you can be the one who steps up to start the conversation. People like Mel Cortez and Eric Sean Clay, MBA, MSc, CHPA, CPP, PSP, PCI can help with training and programs that give your workplace the skills and training necessary to mitigate disaster.
Alexander Eastman and Michael Cripps created and maintain active shooter programs in their own hospitals and are great examples of physicians taking leadership in this endeavor.
The bottom line is this. If school- aged children in this country are facing the reality of an active shooter and continuously preparing under their roof, there is absolutely no excuse why hospital administration cannot make it a priority under ours.
#activeshooter #hospitalsafety #patientsafety #iahss
President, Trinity Health Grand Rapids
4 周Great video showcasing our beloved K9 team! Grateful to our handlers for their work every day to keep the hospital campus safe and to David Kiddle, CHPA for his vision and leadership to make it all possible. Have to admit that I’m a big fan of office visits from Zan!